Store Expansion News: May update
Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in May with store expansions and new formats.
Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent.
- Footwear brand OOFOS to open its first retail stores Direct-to-consumer “active recovery” footwear brand OOFOS has launched its first brick-and-mortar retail experiences across the United States. The locations opened in May and June at Pentagon City in Arlington, Va., the Mall of Georgia in Buford, Ga. and the Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla.
- Dick's to open first House of Sport in Michigan Dick’s House of Sport, Round1 Bowling and Arcade, and Primark will fill the former Sears space at Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, which has been vacant since 2019. The Dick’s House of Sport will mark the first location for the concept in Michigan.
- Online grocer FreshDirect to make physical debut with pop-up store The online grocer will open its debut brick-and-mortar location, dubbed FreshDirect on Main, in Southampton, N.Y. on Long Island. Open through the end of December, the store will offer a selection of seasonal favorites, local products and FreshDirect's signature fresh groceries, now in person.
- Burger King to remodel 400 U.S. restaurants in 2025 The fast-food giant plans to remodel about 400 of its locations this year. The remodels are part of a multi-year plan to accelerate sales growth and drive franchisee profitability, which Burger King announced in 2022.
- Wayfair to expand retail footprint with third large-format store The online home furnishings giant will open its third brick-and-mortar Wayfair store, in Yonkers, N.Y., in early 2027. At approximately 114,000 sq. ft., the store will be located in the Ridge Hill open-air lifestyle center, which is about 18 miles from New York City.
- First Look: Whole Foods Market Daily Shop opens second location Whole Foods Market has opened the second location of its smaller-format store concept. Located on East 14th Street in the StuyTown development of New York City’s East Village, the new 10,000-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop includes a Juice & Java venue, offering coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, sandwiches and various desserts.
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- Sweet Paris to open first Arkansas, Missouri locations The Houston-based chain known for sweet and savory crêpes has signed a four-unit development deal to open its first locations in Arkansas and Missouri. Two restaurants will be opening in Arkansas metropolitan cities, and two restaurants will be opening in Kansas City, Mo.
- Dov Charney’s Los Angeles Apparel to open first standalone store KPG Funds said that the “ethically-driven” apparel brand has signed a lease to open at 480 Broadway, in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The 24,687-sq.-ft. space, located at the base of KPG Funds’ boutique office property The Crosby, will serve as Los Angeles Apparel’s NYC flagship and first-ever standalone retail store.
- Mattress Warehouse acquires 176 former Mattress Firm, Sleep Outfitters stores The independently-owned mattress retailer has acquired 176 store locations from Tempur Sealy, pushing the company past 500 locations in 17 states and Washington D.C. The deal includes 73 former Mattress Firm stores, 103 Sleep Outfitters stores, seven distribution centers and corporate offices in Lexington, Ky.
- Meijer opens three new Northeast Ohio supercenters The Michigan-based retailer opened three new 159,000-sq.-ft. supercenters in Northeast Ohio on May 8, with locations in Austintown (near Youngstown), Medina (near Akron) and Richmond Heights (a northern suburb of Cleveland). Meijer now operates 58 stores in the state.
- Moe's plans nationwide expansion; revamps rewards program The fast-casual Mexican chain says in the past 12 months, it has opened 15 new locations nationwide, with more than 120 signed franchise agreements currently in various stages of development. Moe's Southwest Grill is aiming to "strategically build density" in existing markets while expanding its national footprint into 21 emerging markets – including Arizona, Southern California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and more.
- Bob’s Discount Furniture to open 20 new stores in 2025 The fast-growing furniture retailer plans to open 20 new stores this year as it continues to expand its footprint. The locations will include six stores in North Carolina, marking Bob’s entry into the Southeast. The expansion will also include its first-ever store in Vermont, reinforcing the company’s ties to the Northeast.
- Donatos Pizza eyes big expansion across Texas The Ohio-based pizza chain has signed three new franchise deals in Texas (two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and one in Houston), bringing Donatos Pizza's total franchise groups in the state to nine. The chain says it aims to open more than 100 locations in Texas over time across key markets including DFW, Houston, Waco, Austin and East Texas.
